Three North East restaurants feature in Sunday Times Top 100

Ross Robertson

Three restaurants in the region have been included in The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants list.

The supplement, which runs in the paper on February 5, is compiled by a judging panel which includes Jamie Oliver, who writes a column for the magazine, Antonio Carluccio and Nick Jones, the founder of Soho House.

The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants does not rank the establishments in the list, but selects eight regional winners and an overall winner, which will all be revealed in the magazine on Sunday.

The three from the North East which feature are:

:: House of Tides in Newcastle is run by Kenny Atkinson, a regular on the BBC’s Great British Menu, and the list describes his menu, which is created from local produce, as “ambitious and atmospheric”. The restaurant is also the first in Newcastle to offer a tasting menu, featuring star dishes such as mackerel with gooseberries.

:: County Durham is home to two entries in The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants – The Orangery in Hurworth-on-Tees, and The Raby Hunt Restaurant in Summerhouse. The Orangery is part of Rockliffe Hall, the hotel and spa owned by Steve Gibson, and the tasting menu is praised for having “wow factor”.

:: The Raby Hunt Restaurant is run by former professional golfer James Close, and its star dish of dehydrated artichoke skin with offal ragout and fresh Périgord black truffle is described as “unforgettable joy”.

Laurel Ives, editor of The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants, said: “The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants judging panel is made up of some of the most experienced and knowledgeable people in the industry, from chefs and owners, to our own expert writers. They have picked out the very best establishments that the UK’s impressive culinary scene has to offer.”